Outgassing — the release of gas or vapor from a material through desorption, sublimation (the transition of a material from solid directly to gas), or evaporation — is a critical parameter for materials used in vacuum environments. These gasses and vapors can affect the pressure (or level of vacuum) in the vacuum chamber, and outgassed compounds […]
Ball + lead + roller screws
How to make linear motion systems cleanroom compatible
While we often talk about the importance of keeping contamination out of linear motion components such as linear guides and screws, when these systems are used in a cleanroom, the goal is just the opposite — to keep these components from introducing contamination into the environment. What exactly is a cleanroom? According to ISO 14644-1:2015, […]
The top 10 linear motion articles of 2020
Suffice it to say, pretty much everything about 2020 has been out of the ordinary, and our recap of the top linear motion articles for this year is no exception. For the first time in recent history, only one (1!) of the top 10 articles is about ball or lead screw technologies — a topic that usually […]
Ball screw seals: Types, options, and applications
Ball screws are used in a wide range of applications, many of which expose the screw and nut assembly to harmful contamination in the form of dust, chips, or liquids. And like any bearing that uses metal balls (or rollers) on metal raceways, ball screws can experience abrasive wear when exposed to solid contaminants, while […]
What’s the difference between a ball screw spline and a traditional ball screw?
A ball screw spline is a combination of two components — a ball screw and a rotary ball spline. By combining a driving element (the ball screw) and a guiding element (the rotary ball spline), a ball screw spline can provide both linear and rotary motion, as well as spiral motion, in a highly rigid, […]
How to pick the right drive screw
Choosing the correct drive screw type is critical to getting the best actuator performance, accuracy, and repeatability. Chris Maupin • Program Manager and Engineer | Hunt Valve Actuator Division Screw drivetrains are the most common types of electromechanical linear actuators. A screw drivetrain acts as a linear force generation system, converting a rotary torque input […]
How to protect ball screws in harsh environments
Harsh environments can wreak havoc on motion system components — especially rolling element systems such as linear guides and ball screws. And while protective devices such as rail covers, wipers, and scrapers are widely available for linear guides, protecting ball screws in harsh environments is a bit more tricky. But despite being more difficult to […]
What are fixed and floating bearings in the context of linear motion?
There are two instances when the terms “fixed bearing” and “floating bearing” are used in linear motion: to describe the support bearings used on ball and lead screws, and to describe linear guides mounted in parallel. And while the meanings of the terms are the same in both situations, their applications are different in each […]
THK adds high-speed SDA-V/SDAN-V caged ball screws to linear motion offerings
THK’s new Type SDA-V/SDAN-V caged ball screw is engineered to enable the development of high-speed machine designs. Featuring newly developed circulation components, the Type SDA-V/SDAN-V picks up balls in the tangential direction and achieves a maximum rotational speed of 5,000 rpm — for a maximum DN value of 160,000. Torque remains stable even during long […]
How to account for shock and vibration loads in ball screw drives
Calculations of ball screw service life and permissible static load take into account loads and forces that are predictable and quantifiable — thrust loads due to acceleration, process forces, and forces generated when holding a load in place, for example. But some applications are also susceptible to loads caused by shock and vibration — loads […]
